THE NEW BARON OF SANTA MONICA

an original kindred character of clan brujah from vampire: the masquerade. viewer discretion advised.

❝

ARE YOU AFRAID YOU'LL BECOME THE VERY THING YOU STAND AGAINST?

‧˚꒰݁ᛪ༙꒱‧— RULES

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 001. FIRST & FOREMOST. RACISTS, HOMOPHOBES, TRANSPHOBES, ZIONISTS, ABLEISTS, ETC. ARE NOT WELCOME. EAT SHIT. FUCK ICE. FREE PALESTINE. - i also block people who write r#pe, pedophilia, etc., and those who age up characters who are minors for shipping and/or smut. so if any of this applies to you don't interact with me.✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 002. DYNAMICS. listen, i love me a good ship, i do—talk it out with me first, and we'll go from there. also, i'm not shipping niko with any characters that are under 25, so don't try it. i'll get the stick, i swear to god.i will say, though, i love exploring dynamics between characters so if you got one you wanna throw at me with any of my muses hit me up!✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 003. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. due to the nature of the setting niko's from, world of darkness & vampire: the masquerade, certain dark topics may come up like gore & violence; so just be aware. that being said, though, I will never write or have sexual assault / r*pe, pedophilia, and / or incest in this space.✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 004. REPLIES. length really doesn't matter to me, you don't have to match my length whatsoever. however, if you give me a one-liner when i give you a couple of paragraphs i'll likely drop the thread altogether. at the very least meet me halfway in between, okay? cool. also there's no time limits on threads here either, take all the time you need to reply if we got one going.also don't powergame/godmode, that's not cool like come on dude. i know some muses will be more powerful than niko here but unless plotted out i don't wanna see any like bullshit meta plot device shit.

MERLOT. 29. HE/THEY. EST.

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 005. INTERACTING. If i can't find your age and you don’t have working links to your rules & muse's bio/stats, i'm not following you. plain and simple. i need information on your muse to get an idea on how our muses can interact and i don't want to accidentally break any of your rules. also i want to ask if you want to break mutuals for whatever reason, please just hard block me.✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 006. DNI. DNI. i am not willing to write with muses from the following fandoms. harry potter, 13rw, stranger things, and riverdale. i am also not willing interact with people who use problematic face claims for their muses, those who whitewash poc characters, those who erase a canon queer character's sexuality or gender, and/or people who outright ignore femme muses in favor of masc or male muses. also if you use ai to write replies or generate images, get out of my face.✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ 007. DISCLAIMER. anything that happens in-character stays in-character. i am not nikolai (as cool as that'd be), i am merlot.merlot is an agender person, who is nearly thirty, married, and in a dedicated & loving relationship of a decade; and i'm not leaving my husband, the literal love of my life.so, if i even so much catch a whiff of romantic feelings from the other party ooc after boundaries have been established, and they continue to push, i am going to hit that block button so fucking fast.shipping is fine, i love shipping characters and exploring dynamics but know i am not nikolai. i am simply merlot.

♱

‧˚꒰݁ᛪ༙꒱‧— DOSSIER

usurper

full name. nikolai novikau
nickname / aliases. niko
date of birth 06/22/1865
birthplace. minsk, belarus
age. 160
gender & pronouns transgender man | he/him
sexuality. bisexual
occupation. mechanic
species. kindred (vampire)
nationality. belarusian
ethnicity. caucasian
languages. belarusian, polish, english
associations his coterie

title. baron
sect. the anarch movement
generation. 8th
clan. brujah

hair. auburn
eye colour. bright blue
height. 6'4"
weight. 240lbs
distinguish marks. freckles
merits former ghoul, language, blush of health, eat food, bruiser
flaws repulsed by garlic, repelled by crosses, permanent fangs
humanity 6
willpower 5

strength : ⏺⏺⏺⏺
dexterity : ⏺⏺⏺
stamina : ⏺⏺⏺⏺
charisma : ⏺⏺⏺
manipulation : ⏺⏺
appearance : ⏺⏺⏺
perception : ⏺⏺
intelligence : ⏺⏺
wits : ⏺⏺

‧˚꒰݁ᛪ༙꒱‧— BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNINGS : war, death, murder, vampirism, politics

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ EVERYONE HAS A BEGINNING. including him. Though it starts as mundane as it gets. Born to a mother, father, and a handful of siblings on a little farm outside the city of Minsk in a country now known as Belarus; and back then, he was known by another name, though he didn’t have qualms with the name–he never felt truly right being called by it, nor did he like being perceived as what they saw him as, still he bared it even though it wasn’t easy. The Belarusian was the oldest of all of them, so most of the labor around the farm fell to him and his second-oldest sister. But it wasn’t all bad. He enjoyed the time he spent with them, selling the fruits of their labor at the farmer’s market whenever they could afford to. Though these happy times couldn’t always be so. Not with what lay ahead for them. After all, men who were rejected often did terrible things not only to those who rejected them, but to their loved ones, too.As he came home from town, he found his family’s farm burnt to the ground, animals slaughtered, his family… left bloody, mangled, and lifeless. He lost everything, his farm, his family, those bastards took it all from him, and they were going to kill him too if he loitered for too long; with nothing else left, he fled to the woods. Hoping that the wilds will be kinder than his fellow man. He wanders for days, and he would have nearly starved to death if he had not wandered upon the campfire he assumed was unguarded–but it wasn’t. He was in the middle of scrounging for provisions when he felt the cold metal of a rifle press against his back. Slowly, he turns, seeing the man before him. The man looked at him, sizing him up, and in that moment, he was ready to accept his death, but instead, something else came. The man with the gun lowers it, tossing him some bread. The Belarusian looks back at him, holding the bread in his hands before giving a grateful nod.They got to talking, the Belarusian trying to keep himself warm by the dying fire. Though as they spoke, he started to notice things about his would-be savior. His eyes almost looked like… they were glowing? His canines seemed particularly sharp when he spoke… and lastly, when he checked his pocket watch for the time, he could have sworn the man with the gun had no reflection–and unfortunately for the Belarusian, the man noticed that he was noticing. He asks him, “Do you believe in things beyond logic? Beyond imagination?” The Belarusian tilts his head, confused by the question. “I believe in what I can see,” he answers back, which earns him a nod. Before he could blink, the man was in front of him, which caused the Belarusian to yelp in fear, but before he could run, the gunman grabbed him, holding him in place. “Now, I can give you two choices here, because unfortunately, you have me figured out, so I can’t just let you go.” The Belarusian nods, listening, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. “I can take you under my wing, teach you so much, see you thrive in a world that would rather chew and spit you out, or I can just kill you quickly. It’s your choice.”He thought about it for a few moments, but in truth, those moments felt like hours; but he chose to go under him, and he watched as the vampire drew his own blood by biting into his wrist. It tasted disgusting at first, but the feeling afterward made him feel like his blood was on fire, like he could conquer the world. It was then that the vampire revealed his name, “Miloslav Maldzis, and from henceforth you are mine.” there was a pause, “But before all that, what do they call you?” The Belarusian pauses briefly… thinking. His old life was dead now, and everyone he cared for was gone. He looks up at him, “Nikolai,” his father’s name. “Nikolai Novikau.” Milo raises an eyebrow but shrugs afterwards, taking him under his wing. Afterwards, the pair traveled together from then on.In his time with him, Niko had learned about his sire’s clan, clan Brujah. Learning their history, their banes, sects, politics, everything he could learn about kindred life; until the time came nearly two years later when Milo gave him one final gift before his embrace. He had heard Niko time and time again how he was uncomfortable with how he looked, how the thought of eternity in this body might drive him mad. Milo didn’t know why he obliged, maybe because he favored Niko, maybe because he was the best ghoul he had so far, maybe it was a mixture of both, but Milo decided to call in an old boon from a Tzimisce he had saved decades ago from defecting from the Sabbat.On the eve of his embrace, Milo, Niko, and the Tzimisce spent countless hours together, but the transformation was not easy because, of course, Tzimisce fleshcrafting wasn’t easy. Milo watched as Niko writhed in agony, bone reshaping, flesh molded from his previous form to the form he desired. He had passed out several times during the process, but when he awoke again. Niko had looked at himself–and he took some time adjusting to his new body, but his rebirth wasn’t finished yet. The night afterwards, Niko was embraced. Though the process was long, Milo was worried he wouldn’t wake up, but he did, and he awoke in a frenzy.

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ REBIRTH. Niko stayed close to Milo, navigating the world not as a ghoul but as a kindred, and it was an extraordinary thing to get used to. He had no issues feeding or hunting, but he needed to remind himself that he was still under Milo’s wing for some time. He felt stunted still, and when he was finally able to get out from underneath Milo’s eyes, it was when he truly thrived. Not that he resented him, but Niko found unlife more freeing when his actions didn’t reflect on someone else.Eventually, he would come to sire childers of his own. Tonya was his first, a young Polish woman. Finding herself abandoned by her family, her mother kicked her out on the street after she came home a failure from college. He takes her in and ghouls her like his sire did with him, though her leash was looser than most kindred would agree with, but Tonya thrived. He would later embrace her nearly half a decade later, Tonya leaving for America to help the Anarchs in Seattle. Then came Yelena.Yelena was getting her shit kicked when Niko found her, and he tore them apart quickly. By the time he was finished, she was barely alive, nearly beaten to death. He bites into his wrist, pushing his vitae down her throat to save her life. She awoke later, the man telling her that things would be different now, but he would see her thrive if she chose to stay. She does, and she remains loyal to him for decades to come until she goes, like Tonya, to help the anarchs in the United States. He traveled throughout Europe, helping out the Anarch movement there as much as he could, and by the time he reached Ireland in the late sixties, he had felt his time was coming to an end there, until he met Caoimhe.Caoimhe had saved his sorry ass from what she didn’t know was mages. She assumed they were just English soldiers wanting to stir up trouble with Niko, but that night, after the two grew closer than he intended. He knew what he felt wasn’t love for her, but some nights felt like it with her. Her fighting spirit and the way she wanted to see betterment for her country and her people seemed to stir his undead heart. They had been together a few times, but after Niko almost lost control of himself and almost drank her blood, he started to distance himself from her. Telling himself she was better off without him, that he shouldn’t risk the masquerade for a mortal woman. He left Ireland and Europe after that, trying to focus on his new goal ahead of him.He arrived in America shortly after, and traveled for many decades throughout the states, trying to help the Anarchs where he could, his travels would lead him to LA for the first time in 1998. He would meet a young man named Vicente Ortega, a young man who had definitely seen some shit, but still had a fighting spirit that Niko admired. After a few interactions, Vicente opened up to Niko about wanting more, wanting to fight for something so Nikolai offered him that something. He gave Vicente the choice he gave Tonya & Yelena. Vicente accepted. He trained him, taught him what it meant to be a Brujah, and on Halloween of 1999, Niko embraces him. They stayed together for a few years before Vicente was eventually released to his own devices.He would travel around again for many years, the midwest, the south, anywhere that needed him for the Anarch Movement but after many years he'd eventually end up back in LA once again in 2025. At first, he only intended to help the Anarchs, but something strange happened indeed, the former baron of Santa Monica was revealed as a Camarilla spy, feeding information to the Ivory Tower. When they were stripped of their title, it left a power vacuum that Niko reluctantly filled. It wasn't an easy transition, though; many fought for it, but ultimately, thanks to him & his coterie, they managed to stake their claim to the territory.Now, Niko wanders here, trying to scope out the state of things; trying to get a feel for how the political climate is in Los Angeles while he tries to figure out what’s next for him while he runs Santa Monica. Will he reunite with Yelena, Tonya, Vicente one day? Will old shadows from his past reveal themselves? He doesn’t truly know, but he’ll have to just wait and see… and maybe fan the flames of rebellion wherever they may be.

‧˚꒰݁ᛪ༙꒱‧— THE WARRIOR POETS

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ THE CLAN. brujah are one of the thirteen clans and their beginnings are the same as the others; their antediluvians, the founders of each clan, diablerizing their elders, cursing each clan with a bane & a compulsion that would be in their blood for generations. the founder of clan brujah is said to be troile the younger, but no one knows for certain with how long ago it was.for clan brujah their curse is their violent tempers. you piss off a brujah enough, well that'd be like signing your own death warrant if you're mortal, and getting beat into torpor if you're a kindred; because not only will they tear your throat out, but they'll also beat you to death with your own severed arm. what sets off a brujah? nobody really knows because for each brujah it's different. they're passion incarnate.their compulsion? fighting against the status quo, fighting against the man! in the modern nights, they're a clan of radicals & troublemakers, but at one point in time, they were also philosophers, and you'll see that with older brujah. the warrior scholars is what they call themselves. oh and don't mention carthage around the older ones, some are still sore about that.brujah are gifted with three disciplines. presence, potence, and celerity. they hit hard, they hit fast, and usually can sway the hearts of kindred and kine (mortals) alike with their supernatural emotional sway & allure.

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ DISCIPLINES OF THE CLAN.
discipline celerity; this is the ability that gifts certain vampires the ability to move at unnatural speeds. now, it only adds movement speed and dexterity mechanically until you get past five dots, which is elder-level shenanigans.the discipline potence; this is the ability that gifts certain vampires the ability to have prowess and physical strength beyond regular mortal means. so a vampire with potence probably could throw a car or punch through someone's skull if they roused their blood to give them that strength. like celerity, it doesn't gift the vampire any additional powers until you get past five dots, but before that it only adds to your strength pool mechanically.the discipline presence; it was a gift to soften the curse upon the descendants of caine, making the vampire gifted with this discipline the center of attention. either by making them fascinating, seducing, or intimidating to those within their vicinity. standard levels of this discipline include...

✶⋆.˚ ⚰︎ DISCIPLINES CONTINUED.
awe, the first level - it's very simple but effective. once activated, those within the vampire's vicinity will either be attracted to or intimidated by them. however, unlike dominate which is total mind control, those affected will not lose self-preservation.dread gaze, the second level - this embodies unbearable terror within those it's aimed at. like the hypnotism of the cobra, this level will stupefy the victim into reckless flight, immobility, or madness. to use it those must show the marks of caine, i.e. baring their fangs, claws, or hissing at them with malice. now any vampire can do those things, but those with access to dread gaze make those actions terrifying.entrancement, the third level - it's simple and effect, when activated it will make the one it's being used on obsessive and want to please the vampire, but the person's self-preservation is still there.
summon, the fourth level - it's a compulsion-based power where the vampire can summon someone from a distance.majesty, the fifth level - majesty is usually held by ancillas & elders, but when activated, the vampire becomes a figure of absolute power and authority that can influence a group big enough to fill a small concert hall or theater.

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‧˚꒰݁ᛪ༙꒱‧— VERSES

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